Missing

Yesterday was Christmas. We all opened our packages,looked everything over,played with toys and then went to to cottage. Mainly just to make sure it was still there. It was,standing small and sturdy as we had left if. When we opened the door you could smell all the car siding my husband had put up on the walls. It smelled like fresh new wood. I love that smell. We looked it all over walking around in each room. Missing the fun we have had here. Then down to the lake shore we went. Sticks had washed up on shore. The water was making clapping noises as if to say, " Yeah, you are back!" There were no foot prints by the shore. The shoreline was taking a break and enjoying the quiet. Looking around the property I think each one of us had a comment that said, " I miss this place." So... today we will return to paint some walls and make memories because we love and miss our little cottage.

Missing

Since the crops have been coming in off the field for harvest and since I added two tutoring jobs to my day, we have been missing the cottage. Our #2 daughter was home for Thanksgiving so we went to show her our accomplishments and updates. She was amazed and loved how it is looking. We are missing it. We walked to the waters edge to see the the view. She said how peaceful it looks this time of year with all the docks on shore and the stillness of the water. We are missing it. The neighbors came over for a visit and catch up on talk. We are missing them. We are missing the work, the chats, the grilled food, the togetherness...the cottage.
I hope to return soon!

Color

What a warm sunny weekend we have had! The air is warm and the leaves are absolutely breathtaking. When we ride anywhere with my mother she is yelling ...look to the right, no, look to the left. She is right, the color of the foliage is beautiful to the right and to the left. We just have to take the time to look. At the lake as you look out across the water, you can see the stillness. There are no waves and the water looks as if you could walk on it. Taking in the view from the cottage it looks like a fall picture an artist would paint on canvas. The orange, red and yellow hues are vivid to the eye. Then as your gaze drops into the water its a fuzzy color, a bit toned down, but just as pretty. I feel we are blessed to live in Indiana to see the changing of the seasons. Take the time to go outside and enjoy this beautiful fall weather!

Calm

"Today is the day," my husband said as we woke up. Today the dock comes out of the water. I know there is still going to be warm days, but harvest is coming and we do not want to be in the water when its freezing. So here we are, my husband and the tractor. I would prefer more help but alas the girls are busy and the neighbors have not come out of there houses. So he puts on the waiters and I giggle as I tell him he looks like a frog. It does look as if he has frog legs! He takes out bolts and posts. Then he reminds me not to step on it as it may collapse. Remember where the new board is. I look and touch my leg,still bruised, yes I remember. Now he is ready for the boat. We put the boat under the last section of the dock and float it to shore. Then he can pick it up with the tractor. Sounds easy enough, not... As I'm out in the boat floating it under the dock. I am trying very hard not to get wet. Well I was pushing to fast and the boat went under the dock and I did not fit of course so PLUNK I went down in the boat. The bottom of the boat was green and slimy and now I was wet and green and slimy. My husband in his frog pants was laughing his head off as he put it. I of course did not think this was funny but did when his eyes even got bigger as he sprung a leak in his froggy pants and now he was filling up with water. By the time we both got on shore we were both wet and laughing. Of course that's when help arrived and we all got the dock up on shore so it can rest during the winter months under a blanket of snow. Both dry we returned to the waters edge and enjoyed the sunset and the calm of the water with the lone swan swimming by. Boy... we love this place!

Dock

When we bought our lot it came with a dock that was rusty and had laid in the dirt for 30 years. Needless to say that dock crumbled as we picked up the rotten old boards to see if it could be salvaged, it could not. Then after becoming friends with our neighbor, she to had an old dock in better shape that had not been in the water for years. We decided that if we put sealer on it and put it in the water we would all enjoy it. So, for the past two years we have put that dock down the middle of the property line and...
we have enjoyed fishing off it.
We have sat on it and chatted about our day.
We have tied up our paddle boat and fishing boat on it sturdy steel posts.
We have lit fireworks off it on Fourth of July.
We have jumped off it and swam to the floaty.
We have walked over those boards over and over again.
Then yesterday I was walking out on the dock to see the sunset when creak, crack, clunk. I fell through. I sat there as my husband who saw it all unfold came to my side. Nope I didn't break anything. I just skinned up my leg and was bruised. Actually I felt lucky as I didn't fall in the water.
The next day we went and bought a new board so we can all continue to walk down that dock and enjoy all the fun it brings us at the cottage... at the lake!

Burgers

We were going to the cottage today to work. Yes it is a holiday but it seems every weekend we are free we are working on the cottage. My husband loves it for the therapy and the inner joy he gets from seeing the progress he has made happen. My daughters like it to lay in the sun and chat with each other. Me, well I like my family just being together. I love seeing my girls giggle and laugh. I love working beside my husband building something that will last way beyond my lifetime. Back to the burgers...I always bring more than we can eat as I never know who will be coming to supper. My hunch was right as our daughters brought a car load with them and the neighbors on both sides came to eat when they smelled that the grill was lit. You just can't resit the aroma of grilling burgers. And me...well I had a great evening with family and friends. Sitting in a circle each of us telling stories and laughing together... priceless

Upward

My husband is working on the ladder up to the loft in the cottage. Its a small area over the kitchen. If you don't sit in the middle of the roof line you will hit your head. However it is going to be a place to fit some extra bodies to spend the night when everyone wants to stay over to have just one more day at the lake. I also vision the grand kids thinking it's a clubhouse up there or a secret room just for them. Even the neighbor children have been over as we are building it and asked if they can spend the night, once it is done! HA. Anyway...the ladder has been built this week upward to the loft. I can't wait to hear all the giggles that come from that direction.

Fishing

Today my husband took the day off work. That means he did not go to work, he did not work at home and he did not work at the cottage. Instead he said to me, I'd like to take you fishing." So he put the trolling motor on the fishing boat and we rounded up the life jackets, tackle box, fishing poles with bait and oars in case we needed them. We set out on the lake... me I was full of anticipation hoping we would catch so many fish that we would fill up our wire fish basket and eat them for supper. Needless to say we would stay in one area then...no fish. We would move to another area of the lake and again...no fish. This continued for two hours then my husband caught a small fish which we threw back. We had thought we finally found the hot fishing spot. Another half hour and...no fish. After moving to another spot out motor started slowing down. That means the battery was losing juice and we had to start rowing. Thank goodness we put those oars in the boat earlier. On the way to shore my husband said, "We didn't catch many fish, but I sure had fun not working and spending time with you." How sweet is that! So I said, " I didn't catch fish but I caught you!"
You know we all need to slow down and take time to enjoy the small moments as that is where the memories are formed. I loved fishing with my grandpa when I was a little girl as he taught me all I know about fishing. He would say, "Isn't it fun just being out here together on the lake, just you, me and the fish?" He was right because at this moment I have enjoyed just being on the lake with my husband in the rowboat. I hope you all get to go fishing this summer!

Bonfires

When we cut down 7 trees around the cottage we also had to pull out the stumps around the house. Our contractor that put on the porch is also a farmer. He brought his big backhoe over and pulled them out and loaded them on his big loader truck and trailer. He then took them to his farm to rot at the edge of the woods. However one was so gigantic with a mass of twisted roots that intertwined with dirt it could not be loaded. So in the middle of our yard is a big stump. Not just big, but huge. Needless to say we have had many bonfires this past year to try to burn up that stump. We have burned all the scraps that we're building with around it. We have burned all the fallen down branches from the yard on it. We have brought in a trailer load of dry scrap wood and had such a tall flaming fire it singed the tree that was nearby. It's been a year and still the stump remains a fixture in our yard. The neighbors have taken bets on how long it will be there. Some say we may as well put Christmas lights on it this winter! But... I know one thing each time that stump gets lit all the neighbors come with their lawn chairs and visit. Each talking about the stump and their day. So me, I'm thankful for that old stump as it has brought shade to the old cottage for many, many years with its green branches and its just not quiet ready to leave the old property. So it has stayed already an extra year still making conversation and memories with all the neighbors at the little cottage.

Ice

For the past five years I have become an ice chomper. I have about six glasses of it a day. Some people start their day with coffee but me, I start mine with ice. It started when I was trying to lose weight and in my mind I thought water is zero calories. So it seems like I like to eat constantly so instead of chomping food I may as well chomp ice. I do this constantly now. I have had my doctor tell me I am not deficient in anything as I've heard that is a sign. Just a habit. I had my dentist tell me it's really bad for my teeth. But I have had my teeth x-rayed and they show no cracks or stress at this time. So I continue to chomp,chomp, chomp. So for years I fill my ice cube trays half full so its easier to crunch. Now after 26 years my frig stopped working and I picked out a new one that has the ice maker on the outside. Now anytime I want I can have cubed and crushed ice. I absolutely love it. So I am sitting here typing and chomping away on my glass of ice totally content. I find joy in ice cubes!

Insulation

The past few weeks we have been putting up insulation in the roof line peak of the cottage. With every piece we put up my husband says it is making it cooler in here. However I am on the ladder sweating, dripping like none other. I am doing this because I have to much insulation of my own. I always think I will eat right and walk more to help remedy this insulation, but that never happens! Then I think of my BONS friends and how they insulate themselves with books all around then. In the seasons of the year they surround the titles next to them to read for warmth and coolness. Me well my husband is saying he has another chunk cut so its time to get back up on the ladder and continue to insulate!

College

When my daughters were born we started each of them a bank account. This account was always to be used for college. It would grow with birthday money, allowances earned around the house and items returned that they would not use turned into cash. As they grew they got their own jobs and each pay check some money would go into the college savings account. We talked about what they wanted to become when they grew up, what things interested them. Never was there any talk about not going.
This year I taught first grade and of course I stressed college. What did they want to be when they went to college. I told them how much fun they were going to have when they went. That they were each so smart and needed to get good jobs for their families someday. I also said what my father told me and I told my girls... "You were put on earth for a reason, don't just suck in air. Do something with your life, do something great!" Of course they listen with big wide eyes as I tell them that. Then two of my daughters came in to visit, one finished with college and one still enrolled. One little guy came up to them and said, "Your mom said I'm smart and I'm going to college. I'll be the first one in my family to go and I'm going." My daughter said, "Oh if it's up to my mom she will make sure all of you go."
Well with that I called our local college and said I had a special request. The request being I'd like to bring my first graders for a visit of the campus. They said they had never had a group come that young but they would love to have us. They arrived on campus with their grandparents, parents, siblings and friends. We went on a tour that lasted 3 hours then I bought lunch for everyone. When we visited the dorm and the girl was telling them about the rooms, one little guy turned to his grandma and said with excitement, " It's just a hotel for kids!" the grandma said , "Oh I think I will have to come with you." His face full of excitement replied, " No grandma it's just for kids only."
Another boy said in the dining hall after his 5th tall self made ice cream cone. "Mrs. Shultz,your daughter GETS to eat here EVERYDAY!" After running around on the indoor track and walking barefoot on the turf football field, some sparked and interest in sports. A parent said she enjoyed this trip just as much as the zoo. Needless to say everyone wants to go to college now... the seed has been planted. They all were given a free t-shirt to remember the day. Hopefully they will not just suck in air and they will do great things with their lives!

Coolness

It is Hot, Hot, really Hot outside. One of the reasons I love going to the cottage is that it has air. We do not at home...but we did in the camper. So when my husband bought this cottage I said it has to have air. Boy do I turn it on full blast when I arrive. I really do not care that my electric bill skyrockets, I just love soaking up the coolness of the air conditioning! It makes every pore on my body smile as I do not have to sweat! As I sit in my air conditioned cottage I look out the window to see how everyone else, that's my neighbors, are staying cool. My neighbor to the left has what she calls her hillbilly hot tub out on the deck. There she is waving a happy smile sitting in her child size blow up swimming pool. She plays her CD on one side then when it starts over she flips and tans the other side. She even has a piece of large plastic to put over her hillbilly hot tub so no leaves get inside. She says it is very easy to clean. Just dump it over and refill for more fun.
Then there are the neighbors on the right. They have the pool that is 3ft tall where maybe 4 people can float around. This cools them down and they do not have to get in the muck and seaweed lake, their beach is mucky. When I look straight ahead I see my daughters giggling and laughing as the are swimming and floating around by our dock in the lake. Everyone has found their coolness at the lake. There is my neighbor waving at us all. We all will now join him for a cool ride around the lake on his pontoon feeling the breeze as we watch the sunset over the trees signaling the end of another Hot, Hot day. Keep Cool Everyone!!

Trimming

This week I find myself trimming around the house.
I have been trimming my:
waist by exercise
finger and toe nails
hair
lawn
clutter
calories
and...chicken wings!
Yes, last night after getting home late. I roamed around the woods in the rain with a flashlight searching for a chicken that flew the fence. My husband had counted "the girls" when locking up the coop and noticed the camouflage gal (black and white)was not on the roost with her friends. So I looked in the dog pen and all around the woods in the usual places. I'm sure I will have poison ivy in three days! At this point I was frustrated and really didn't care if a wild critter had her for a midnight snack. Then I turned my flashlight on a limb where I heard a noise when I saw it, a small screech owl. It started hooting at me as I stood frozen just watching. It just kept looking at me until I went in to bed with out finding my chicken. As I went to sleep I thought to myself, I'm going to get some good luck, as that is what I've heard seeing an owl brings. Sure enough in the morning overlooking my yard, there she was,camouflage girl, happily eating bugs free from her pen. So...tonight once she was caught her wing was trimmed so she will not fly the fence and I will not be out in the woods hunting in the trees with my flashlight. However I was given the gift of hearing a small owl sing for me. A lifetime experience! Notice those trimmings!

Planting

Lots of rain kept them from planting our field last month. Last weekend my family was cutting up fallen down trees from the recent storms getting them out of the planters way. It was in the 90 degree heat and I was dripping with sweat and very red in the face. Yet, we all knew we had to trudge forward as those broken down limbs needed to be cleaned up. Tonight the farmer pulled in with his John Deere tractor pulling the planter behind. He opened the door and yelled out, " Do you want to ride along." Of course my daughter pulled on her boots and hustled down the hill to hitch a ride planting soy beans in the dry field. They have been out there now for hours going back and forth going across corn stubble rows of last year. I sit on my screened in deck listening to the hum of the tractors engine. Thinking how blessed I am that my daughters have this opportunity to see seeds planted then grow into a crop that feeds so many others. They understand how the planter is filled with seed and that each seed in individually dropped, then is pushed under with a metal plate. The overturned earth smells fresh,a smell you only get during springtime planting. The crop is in , the planting done, the farmer happy...grow soybeans grow!

Sweeping

One of my main jobs is to sweep the floor at the cottage after my husband makes a mess. Since we are remodeling, I can sweep multiple times when we are there working. Sometimes I think he makes sawdust or drags in dirt just to say, "Time to sweep the floor again!" Actually its sorta fun to see the instant pile of dirt gone and the floor all clean once more. Then I move outside and sweep off the new deck that has more sawdust and flowers from trees that have flown under the roof to settle in the floorboard cracks. I then go around to the sidewalk and sweep off the fresh cut grass clippings. This leads me to the outhouse where I sweep the dust from the grey painted cement and sweep the cobwebs off the walls of unwanted visitors. Sometimes I sweep the shed out and also the rowboats. It seems to never end as when I return in a few days I start all over again. Plus I sweep at home too!! Really when you think about it , it makes me giggle as all I am doing is pushing dirt around from on place to another. It always comes back and...its probably the same dirt my ancestors pushed around. So I wait until we head over to the cottage to once again, sweep- a job I like because I can let my mind wander as I do this task. Go and pick up your brooms and let your mind wander in many directions! Just don't fly away on them!

RAIN

Rain- we have seen a lot of it lately.To much, is not wanted with flooding. Some crops have been washed away. Trees have lost their hold and tumbled over. Rivers, lakes and streams are to a point where piers are under water. The shoreline has a new look. A look that is not contained. A wild yet unkempt look. A look of freedom.
Rain- it brings color with it that quenches the earth. Vibrant colors intertwined with the many hues of green.It makes us take notice of freshness, a smell that only comes from the ground after it has had a long quick drink.
Rain- the sound of it puts creatures to sleep. It splashes, pitter-patters, and sloshes. The different sized droplets sound like a symphony to my ears against the steel cottage roof. I close my eyes and enjoy the melody and tempo, curving up the corners of my face to make a smile of pure gladness.
Rain- it can drench us, chill us and cool us. It can soak us to the bone making us feel cold with goose bumps. Then other times it is a well awaited gift from the sky that gives us a much relieved cool down.
Rain- is just plain fun. Umbrella's are twirled around under it's steady drops. Rain boots and bare feet are squished in the soft mud it makes. Arms are stretched as long as they can reach opened up toward the heavens with heads tilled back to feel its soft moist kiss felt upon our faces.
Today my neighbor came over for a short visit and we were talking outside when the rain started getting us wet. We both kept talking as if nothing was phasing us. Then at the end of our conversation he said, Boy this rain sure feels good." "Yep I replied it sure does." Coming inside I stepped out on our screen porch and enjoyed the rest of that rain shower until once again the sun shined it rays through the clouds. Then it was over, that moment, and it was time to go back to being a mom...enjoy the RAIN!

Kindness

I only went to school half a day today. I had to take my daughter to the doctor as she has what everyone has... a very bad sore throat.Then after school I tutored a child who is in my class who is not at that magic level of I where he needs to be! Upon arriving home my college daughter wanted to watch a movie together. The Title was Evan Almighty. I laughed at several parts, but in the end it has a great message that we all should do "one act of kindness at a time". I wrote it down quickly on a piece of paper as not to forget it. Then I reflected back on my day. Had I done some kind deeds to others? Yes. Had others done some kind deeds toward me? Yes.Rex and I went to the cottage to work on plumbing. The neighbors came over to tell us about their day and I looked at text messages friends had sent me. I am blessed with so many friends who ground me with kindness. I will try very hard to pass it on! Remember do a good deed for those who surround you and for those who you just meet.

Here I am!

After much debate, I have joined you...my friends in the blog world. For the past month I have read your slices and have learned more about each of you. I have enjoyed seeing your thinking about life and laughed at your humor. I watch the whole series of Anne of Green Gables each winter. Something we have done with our daughters for years. Anyway, I think of each of you like those movies as, kindred spirits. You know right away when your have met a kindred spirit. They are your lifetime friends. It matters not how often you see each other as you take off from whence you last met. Thanks again for being true friends. The food was fantastic, the company awesome and the memories we made tonight will last a lifetime. Enjoy the rest of your week girls!!!!

My 1st Blog.

The best thing about blogging is it has a spell check.